Americans are especially receptive to messages equating retirement with a "new frontier." The idea that our best days are always ahead of us is an important part of our fabric, both individually and as a nation.

We can look at how to keep this phase from turning into a major life crisis -- not just for ourselves, but for those closest to us -- and how to avoid the collateral damage that can be left along the way.

In its despair and confusion, a large segment of the American populace is prepared to believe anything it's told, in part because we are a country less and less educated in basic essential knowledge about America and the world.